Hi apskip, I am interpreting TARA3 started filming on 18 May 2008 based on the blog of Andrew. (Sorry, I am still familiarizing with the features here. I still don't know how to put a link.LOL)

He posted the picture of the racer eating bugs in an entry dated 19 May 2008. But he gave an account on what he saw in a blog written on the 22nd. When Georgiapeach and I e-mailed him, he told us that the date he saw them was either on the 20th or 21st. He mentioned that "he can't exactly tell the date". He is really confused!

Why did I say 18th of May? Well, what I understood from reading his blog written on the 19th, he was in Bangkok on the 18th at noon. Then, he went to Khao San Road in the afternoon where he saw the filming.

Take a look at this statement "So since today (19th) is a holiday that means no alcohol being served, so we're going to have to find something else to do... we heard from a girl that they sell scorpions to eat on the street at night, so maybe I'll have to see if I can find some of those, we might go see some Thai boxing we heard about also. "

Note: Alcohol is not served on the evening of 19th.

But on these first lines of his blog, "Got here around noon yesterday, the flight was long but could have been worse. We got in a taxi to Khao San Road, it's where pretty much all the tourists stay, and it is crazy. Thousands of people walking around, everyone trying to sell you something, but everyone is friendly about it. We took it easy yesterday during the day, bought a few things and got to know the area. I had my first massage too... it was alright, alot of elbows just digging into your back though... I dont think they knew exactly what they were doing. Then we decided to grab a bucket from a cart on the side of the street. A bucket is Red Bull, Coke and some sort of Thai alcohol poured into a bucket, and it is gooood. We sat there for a few hours talking with the locals and joking around with the kids that sell things on the street. Then we got the kids to point us out a real live ladyboy across the street, with a guy sitting there with his arm around her acting cool... little did he know... "

So I am seeing that he went and saw the filming at Khao San Road on the 18th and had alcohol on that evening.

We'll Slowhatch can see the exact time the photo was taken. Maybe he could tell us.

Between Saigon and Hue, I have left a blank until I cen find the schedule for the train. Teams could have flown that leg, but reports were that they did not. Vietnam Airlines has 100 minute nonstops between SGN HUI at 0730, 1130 and 1630.

Thats good info JonLover as well as good detective work, thank you. Your linking is fine, if you need help navigating the forum feel free to private message me or email me puddin.pies@gmail.com << don't laugh! its's all I could come up with at the time

The race starting on either May 18 or 19 is nearly 100% certain based on private info from someone in contact with production. It definitely did not start sooner, and I have no idea where Sri Lanka came from.

The race almost certainly started in Beijing and we see them leaving there on the 20th.

We have photo evidence from 2 separate photos dated 5/20 in Khao San Road Bangkok already so there are no doubts about that date at all for the eating task.

I agree w/ apskip that I am also not willing to discount the Chiang Mai sighting yet. That race is a 6-8 hour adventure challenge more along the lines of an IronMan race. There would be no reason for them to be in the airport at all, and I can find no evidence that they are filmed. I have written the race organizers for confirmation on that and have sent a message to the blogger asking for further info as well, so perhaps we will find out?

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This is the host of the Chinese version of the Amazing Race. We talked to them, did an intro. for the show, and found out the contestants were coming in about a half hour. We had to leave but we hoped we would run in to the contestants at the bottom of the mountain.

Besides, it just popped up in my mind that last year we were talking here about a sighting of the Amazing Race in Bangkok, Thailand. I can't find the thread but we all thought that the final city of TARA 2 was Bangkok.

That was a blog of someone named Jon (namesake! but definitely not me! LOL). Apparently he saw from his hotel lobby some sorts of Amazing Race contestants taking cab with cameramen and audiomen following them.

And our Chiang Mai blogger has sent a quick and wonderfully detailed response!

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Re: Chiang Mai Amazing Race

Hey Peach,Well I'm definitely a little surprised that you some how found my one reference to the amazing race in my blog. I'd love to know how you found it?

so the details that I have:-There were three couples. one was two shorter women. they had black backpacks on and on the packs were yellow stickers that had an army slogan (i.e. "you can do it"). I remember them as wearing all black as well. They were rather short 5'5"or less and while I don't want to sound prejudicial my two friends that I was traveling with (who are both gay) totally thought these two women were too. i actually never saw their faces. i will fwd to my friends and see if they have any info. the second couple i think was two younger (20s/30s)guys...will have to double check. the third was definitely a guy and a girl (prob. dating). they were both white. she had longer brown/black hair and was really skinny and wearing a little tank top. he had a british accent b/c he's the one that said "" i don't know what you're talking about" THey looked to be in their early 30s.

-We were at the Chiang Mai airport on May 22. Our flight was scheduled to land around 2pm so I think that's roughly the time. Our bags were the first off the carousel.

-We were the only flight in baggage claim at the time and I really really don't think they were on our plane (it wasn't very full and I hope I would have noticed them). They ran past us as we were waiting for our taxi to pull up at the curb outside of baggage claim (they were running from right to left as you have your back to the terminal...woah that's a lot of detail). Oddly the third couple (guy/girl) were pushing their gear on a trolley and she was definitely looking for something whereas the other two couples were just running by. I also distinctly remember that they came from further down the curbside and not from in the terminal...may help with the coming vs going issue. All three ran past us to the end of the terminal. I was actually confused about whether they were coming or going. i think I would eliminate coming but whether they were going or passing through i can't tell you. the trolley thing threw me off.

Northern Thailand has been one adventure after another and is certainly the highlight of my time in Asia. The adventures started at the airport in Chiang Mai when three sets of couples ran past us, each trailed by a camera guy and an audio guy. We are pretty sure that they were part of the show The Amazing Race but when we asked them all one guy could say was "I don't know what you're talking about." Yeah, right.

What is I can do it - You can do it?The Goal: To improve the health of the six million American children who have disabilities by encouraging increased physical activity and healthy nutritional behaviors-a major priority of Secretary Thompson, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

I wrote to the reporter who wrote the excellent summary of the Chiang Mai Adventure Challenge that we read about HERE. I wanted to sort out the question of whether or not that race had any filming done. Just received a response from him (thank you Andrew!!) :

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Regarding the Chiang Mai Adventure race featured in our news: no the competitors were not filmed, other than from a local camera crew who used footage from the start and interviews with competitors for a 10 minute new documentary for Capital TV, but it wasn't an 'on the fly' thing like the Amazing Race, since most the time they were in the jungle. It was a proper 'multi-discipline' triathlon type event, organised by Active Asia .

As a matter of interest the Amazing Race Asia did pass through Chiang Mai recently, it's yet to be aired and no one locally knew about it at the time except the owner of the X-Centre where part of it took place.

Hope this helps

Andrew

I'm of course hoping for more information...

But aside from that race being on 5/18 and our racers being spotted on 5/22, if the first race wasn't filmed then it rules that out as a case of mistaken identity anyway...

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